Target trap having an overcenter cocking lever

ABSTRACT

A target trap having a trigger operated throwing arm and an overcenter cocking lever for cocking the spring that swings the throwing arm. The arrangement is such that the throwing arm can be swung to its operative position and then loaded before the spring is cocked, thus preventing accidental tripping of the throwing arm during its loading operation.

PATENTEU AUB24 I97! SHEET 2 [1F 2 Mil [AIME TARGET TRAP HAVING ANOVERCENTER COCKING LEVER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Target traps of thetype to which the present invention pertains are well known and are usedto throw frangible objects such as clay pigeons into the air for targetpractice.

Prior art target traps of this general type are well known and thepresent invention is an improvement over the device shown in the US.Pat. No. 3,368,542, issued Feb. I3, 1968 to V. F. Dale and entitledTarget Trap with Friction-Reducing Target Holder. The trap shown in thatpatent worked entirely satisfactory, but in that device it was necessaryto fully cock the throwing arm before the arm was loaded with the claypigeon. Consequently, it was possible to inadvertently trip the throwingarm and thereby release it during the loading of the pigeons on the arm.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention provides animproved target trap having a throwing arm that can be set to itsoperative position and then loaded with the clay pigeons, after whichthe actuating spring for the throwing arm can be cocked by an overcenterlever means with complete safety to the operator. The overcenter levermeans provides easy and quick cocking which are important factors whenit is considered that the trap must be repeatedly, frequently andquickly loaded and discharged.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention willappear hereinafter as this disclosure progresses, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of thetrap in the position when the throwing arm is in operative position butthe trap is not yet cocked;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the FIG. 1 device showing theovercenter linkage;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the trap in a fully cockedposition;

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The trap provided by the presentinvention includes a stand S having legs 1 which can be firmly anchoredin the ground by any suitable means (not shown). Secured to the topplate 2 of the stand by means of bolts 3 aretwo vertically extending,spaced apart and parallel sheet metal frame members 4 and 5. These framemembers have a pair of aligned slots 6 extending therethrough and alarge bolt means 8 also extends through these plates adjacent the upperfront comer thereof.

An elevation arm 10 is pivotally mounted on the bolt 8 intermediate thelength of the arm and another bolt means 12 extends through the armrearwardly of the bolt 8 and also extends through the arcuate slot 6.Large thumb nut or adjustment knob 14 is threadably engaged on the endof the bolt 12 and can be tightened so as to secure the elevation arm 10in any angle of inclination to thereby vary the angle at which the claypigeon is launched.

The tubular pivot shaft housing 16 is rigidly secured as by welding tothe forward end of the elevation arm and a pivot shaft 18 extendsthrough the housing 16 and is held in place by the nut 19 threaded onthe lower end of the shaft. The upper end of the pivot shaft 18 isrigidly secured to the forward end of the throwing arm 20 to therebypermit the throwing arm to swing about the shaft 18 as will appear. Thethrowing arm 20 is conventional in nature as is the flight control clampbar 22 which is fixed thereto. If a more complete description of thethrowing arm or the flight control clamp bar is deemed to be eithernecessary or desirable, reference may be made to the said US. Pat. No.3,368,542.

Extending downwardly from and rigidly attached to the underside of theforward end of the throwing arm is a swivel yoke shaft 30 on which isswingably mounted a swivel yoke 32. The swivel yoke 32 has a rear endportion having an aperture 33 in which one end of a large tension spring34 is connected. The lower end of the yoke shaft 30 has a cotter key 31fixed therein for holding the swivel yoke 32 captive on the shaft 30. Acoil spring 38 is wrapped around the housing 16 and is anchored at oneend 35 to the forward end of the elevation arm. The other end of thespring is hooked and extends around the swivel yoke shaft 30 and thepurpose of the spring 38 is to bias the throwing arm towards the cockedposition after the pigeon has been discharged.

Means are provided for pulling the other end of the spring 34 rearwardlyto a cocked position and this means includes a reset cocking handle 50which when swung rearwardly acts to extend the spring 34 thereby cockingthe device as follows.

A pair of camshaft bearings 52 are rigidly secured to the elevation arm,one in each of openings 53 formed in the rearward portion of theelevation arm. A cocking camshaft assembly is oscillatably mounted inthe bearings 52 and includes a shaft 54 which extends through thebearings and a pair of spaced-apart parallel arms 55 that are secured tothe tubular shaft 54. The lower end of the reset cocking handle 50 isfixed in the outer end of the tubular shaft 54 and is detachably butrigidly secured in position by the setscrew 57 which is threadablyengaged in the end of the shaft 54.

The rearward end of the large spring 34 is pivotally connected to thefree ends of the pair of arms 55 by means of an arcuate-shaped cockingyoke 60. More specifically, the rear end of the cocking yoke ispivotally attached to the arms 55 by means of a shaft 62 which extendsthrough holes in the forward end of the arms 55 and is held captivetherein by cotter pins 64 extending through each end of the shaft 62.

When the lever is in the forward or uncocked position, (FIGURE) it willbe noted that the spring is released and the cocking yoke is forward ofthe cocking camshaft assembly. When the handle 50 has been swung to therearward position however, it will be noted that the cocking yoke hasbeen brought'back rearwardly so that it overlies the shaft 54. Morespecifically, as viewed in FIG. 4, when in the cocked position, theshaft 62 which extends through the rear end of the cocking yoke islocated overcenter of the shaft 54 and beneath a line of action whichextends through the center of the spring 34, thus providing anovercenter connection for the line of action of the spring relative tothe shaft 54. Thus, when the handle has been fully brought to therearward position, the spring is cocked and held in position by theovercenter action.

Prior to swinging the lever rearward however, the throwing arm has beenmoved to the operative position shown in FIG. 1 where it is held rigidlyin place by a spring loaded plunger that is slideable in an extension 72carried by the upper end of the elevation arm. The forward end of theplunger holds a latch 75 which is rigidly fixed to the rearward end ofthe throwing arm and prevents the throwing arm from swinging forwardlyuntil the device has been cocked by the cocking handle 50 and theplunger is then released by pulling the cord 1 76 attached to theplunger in a rearward direction. By pulling the cord in the rearwarddirection, the plunger is caused to move rearwardly, thus permitting thelatch fixed to the throwing arm to clear it and swing outwardly.

RESUME With the present invention, the throwing arm can be swung to theoperative position where the plunger holds the arm in locked positionprior to the cocking handle 50 being swung rearwardly. At this time thethrowing arm is not under any spring tension. When the throwing arm hasthus been positioned, the pigeons can be placed on the arm in thedesired position and without any danger of the throwing arm beingaccidentally tripped to the release position by inadvertent entanglementwith the cord.

Thus, with the present invention, the operation that governs theresetting of the throwing arm is completely independent of the actualcocking of the trap.

After the pigeons have been placed on the throwing arm, the device isthen cocked by simple swinging the handle rearwardly, thus causing thecocking yoke 60 to move rearwardly up and over the shaft 54 to theovercenter position. Due to the overcenter position of the cocking yoke,the spring remains in the cocked position, but tightly pulls on theswivel yoke 32 which is pivotally attached to the forward end of thethrowing arm at a location forward the pivot shaft 18 of the throwingarm. It will be noted that the swivel yoke also passes overcenter of thepivot shaft 18, thus providing a moment arm through which the spring 34can act on the forward end of the throwing arm.

I claim:

l. A target trap having a stand, an elevational arm mounted on the standintermediate its length, a throwing arm swingably mounted adjacent oneend on the forward portion of the elevational arm, latch means to holdsaid throwing arm releasably fixed in an operative position alongsidesaid elevational arm, and an overcenter reset cocking handle meansmounted on said elevational arm and connected to said throwing arm, saidreset cocking handle means including an overcenter link, and a springconnected at one end to said throwing arm and connected at its other endto said overcenter link, said cocking handle means adapted to apply atorque to the throwing arm only after the throwing arm has been latchedby said latch means.

2. A trap as set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that saidcocking handle means includes a handle swingable about an axis, and saidovercenter link has a pivotal connection with said handle means wherebywhen said handle is swung to a throwing arm cocked position, saidpivotal connection is located rearwardly of said axis and the spring,

3. The trap as claimed in claim 2 further characterized in that saidlink is of arcuate shape and extends over said axis when throwing arm isin the cocked position.

4. A target trap having a stand, an elevational arm mounted on the standintermediate its length, a throwing arm swingably mounted about agenerally vertical pivot axis adjacent one end on the forward portion ofthe elevational arm, latch means to hold said throwing arm releasablyfixed in an operative position alongside said elevational arm, and anovercenter reset cocking handle means mounted on said elevational armand connected to said throwing arm; said reset cocking handle meansincluding a handle swingably mounted on said elevational arm about agenerally horizontal axis, crank arm means fixed with said handle, linkmeans connected to said crank arm means fixed with said handle, linkmeans, a spring connected to said throwing arm at a point spaced fromsaid generally horizontal axis, said spring also connected to said linkmeans said crank arm means adapted to apply a torque force to thethrowing arm only after said throwing arm is latched by said latchmeans.

5. The trap set forth in claim 4 further characterized in that said linkmeans is a link of arcuate shape having a pivotal connection with saidcrank arm means which is located rearwardly of said generally horizontalaxis and said spring when said handle is swung to a throwing arm cockedposition.

1. A target trap having a stand, an elevational arm mounted on the stand intermediate its length, a throwing arm swingably mounted adjacent one end on the forward portion of the elevational arm, latch means to hold said throwing arm releasably fixed in an operative position alongside said elevational arm, and an overcenter reset cocking handle means mounted on said elevational arm and connected to said throwing arm, said reset cocking handle means including an overcenter link, and a spring connected at one end to said throwing arm and connected at its other end to said overcenter link, said cocking handle means adapted to apply a torque to the throwing arm only after the throwing arm has been latched by said latch means.
 2. A trap as set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that said cocking handle means includes a handle swingable about an axis, and said overcenter link has a pivotal connection with said handle means whereby when said handle is swung to a throwing arm cocked position, said pivotal connection is located rearwardly of said axis and the spring.
 3. The trap as claimed in claim 2 further characterized in that said link is of arcuate shape and extends over said axis when throwing arm is in the cocked position.
 4. A target trap having a stand, an elevational arm mounted on the stand intermediate its length, a throwing arm swingably mounted about a generally vertical pivot axis adjacent one end on the forward portion of the elevational arm, latch means to hold said throwing arm releasably fixed in an operative position alongside said elevational arm, and an overcenter reset cocking handle means mounted on said elevational arm and connected to said throwing arm; said reset cocking handle means including a handle swingably mounted on said elevational arm about a generally horizontal axis, crank arm means fixed with said handle, link means connected to said crank arm means fixed with said handle, link means, a spring connected to said throwing arm at a point spaced from said generally horizontal axis, said spring also connected to said link means said crank arm means adapted to apply a torque force to the throwing arm only after said throwing arm is latcHed by said latch means.
 5. The trap set forth in claim 4 further characterized in that said link means is a link of arcuate shape having a pivotal connection with said crank arm means which is located rearwardly of said generally horizontal axis and said spring when said handle is swung to a throwing arm cocked position. 